After launching an investigation, the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has begun questioning people suspected of ordering or deciding that judges’ salaries should not be disbursed.

Journalist Klodiana Lala reports that questioning began with the head of the Treasury. Investigators are expected to follow by questioning other officials from the Ministry of Finance, in order to shed light on the decision-making and procedures followed to withhold the salaries.

So far, the investigation file includes the Constitutional Court’s decision, the decisions of the High Prosecutorial Council and the High Judicial Council, correspondence from the General Prosecutor’s Office regarding the payroll lists, the payroll lists cancelled by the Ministry of Finance, as well as the electronic records from the Treasury system.

The investigation is linked to the criminal complaint filed by the judges over the failure to execute the salary payments. The complaint calls on the prosecution to clarify the circumstances that led to the salaries not being paid and to identify the person or persons responsible for making, communicating or implementing the decision. Among those named in the complaint is Finance Minister Petrit Malaj.

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Parliament approved after midnight, with 84 votes in favor, 24 against and 1 abstention, the Socialist Party bill on magistrates’ salaries, which provides for an increase of around 8,500 lekë in the reference salary.

Prime Minister Edi Rama was also present at the session, while Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha was absent.

The bill was opposed by the justice institutions and the opposition, which stressed that it does not comply with the Constitutional Court’s decision.

The opposition called it a constitutional coup, while at the start of yesterday’s plenary session, it demanded that it also be removed from the agenda and not put to a vote.

The formula approved with the Socialist lawmakers’ votes does not meet the magistrates’ demand for an increase of around 80,000 lekë, which was approved by the High Council of Justice and the High Prosecutorial Council.

The government has also calculated 1.5 billion lekë in arrears dating back to April 2023, which will be paid in installments over two years.

The deadlock over salaries in the justice system peaked after Parliament failed to approve the new salary formula by July 31, as requested by the Constitutional Court.

After the deadline passed, the High Council of Justice and the High Prosecutorial Council decided that, starting August 1, the reference salary would be calculated on the basis of 222,425 lekë, plus an additional 14,000 lekë for qualifications.

The Ministry of Finance did not process the payrolls based on this calculation, arguing that determining salaries is the competence of Parliament.

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Democratic Party MP Jorida Tabaku called from the parliamentary rostrum for the law on magistrates’ salaries to be withdrawn, arguing that parliamentary procedure had not been respected during its review.

According to Tabaku, the Constitution was also violated in this case.

She stated that the law regulating the status of prosecutors and magistrates has been submitted to Parliament several times. Tabaku recalled that when the law was challenged, one of the Constitutional Court’s requirements was for a consultation process to be conducted.

The MP said that the Human Rights Committee had requested a hearing with all the heads of justice institutions, a request that, according to her, was taken seriously by both the left and the right.

Meanwhile, she accused the Legal Affairs Committee of concluding its discussions and approving a decision without taking their request into consideration.

Tabaku said that Albania is the only country where Constitutional Court judges and other judges have gone unpaid for two months. She added that it is also the only country where the prime minister and ministers attack prosecutors and judges, while the judicial system is used whenever it suits day-to-day politics and, at the same time, is trampled upon.

In conclusion, the Democratic Party MP reiterated that the adoption of this law was accompanied by violations of the parliamentary process and Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, stressing that the Constitution and magistrates’ rights cannot be subject to negotiation.

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The Democratic Party’s request to remove the Socialist Party’s bill on magistrates’ salaries from the agenda was rejected by 36 votes in favor and 79 against.

The DP requested that the bill not be put to a vote today so that consultations with justice institutions could continue and the Constitution would not be violated.

Before the request was rejected, Socialist Party Parliamentary Group leader Taulant Balla described the DP’s request as hypocritical.

Balla said it was positive news that the opposition was defending judges and prosecutors, referring to its previous attacks and accusations against justice institutions.

“I am pleased to hear that the DP is defending judges and prosecutors. This is extremely positive news because it shows a change of heart after all the insults, threats and abuse we have heard. The law will be debated today. You often go to the door of the Special Prosecution Office, mention their relatives’ names and threaten them.

Our vote on the DP’s request is against it because the request is hypocritical. We were told that we were late, and now you are telling us to postpone it. We will vote on it today, and I call on the President—I believe we are in agreement—to enact it immediately,” he said.

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During his speech in Parliament, Democratic Party parliamentary group leader Gazment Bardhi accused the majority of refusing to implement the first two Constitutional Court rulings on magistrates’ salaries, thereby violating them.

On behalf of the Democratic Party, Bardhi requested that the salary bill be removed from the session’s agenda so that consultations could continue. He said he had made the same request at the Conference of Chairs.

According to Bardhi, if the procedure continues in this manner, there is a risk that the Constitutional Court’s third ruling on the matter will also not be respected.

He said Parliament was considering an important issue concerning the status of magistrates that had dragged on for seven years. Bardhi stressed that the Constitutional Court had issued three rulings on the matter and that the one now under consideration was the third, while the previous two, according to him, had either been violated or not implemented by the majority.

Bardhi said the consultation with magistrates had not been effective. He noted that submissions from the judges’ association had been presented during parliamentary committee proceedings, while its leaders had been notified only 30 minutes before they were due to be heard.

For this reason, he called on Parliament to withdraw the bill, arguing that the Constitution was being violated. According to him, sufficient time should be allocated to find a final solution to the issue.

Bardhi stressed that the justice system could not be kept under government pressure and that the financial matters of judges and prosecutors could not be handled irresponsibly if they were to administer justice.

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The majority’s proposal on the financial treatment of magistrates has been described as unconstitutional by Gazment Bardhi, head of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group.

He warned that the initiative would once again send the law to the Constitutional Court, where, he said, its fate would be the same as last time: it would be struck down.

In a statement made during a meeting of the Committee on Human Rights, Bardhi stressed that the proposal not only fails to reflect the Court’s previous decision, but is acting in complete contradiction to it.

“This initiative openly violates the Constitutional Court’s decision by doing precisely the opposite of what is required,” he said.

Referring to the spirit of the justice reform, Bardhi stressed the need to restore dignity to judges and prosecutors. He added that treating their salaries as an act of charity was unacceptable.

“We cannot treat them as charity today. At the very least, we should treat them as we treat ourselves,” he declared, drawing attention to the substantial salary increases granted to other senior officials.

He recalled that lawmakers themselves had increased their salaries by around 50%, while the salaries of the prime minister and ministers had been raised by more than 60%. Moreover, he pointed out that the latter receive a range of additional benefits, such as fuel and telephone expenses.

“There is no basis for comparison between us and magistrates,” stressed the head of the DP parliamentary group.

Bardhi went further, arguing that a judge’s salary should be higher than that of any other senior state official. He illustrated this with a direct criticism of the President of the Republic.

“A judge should earn more than both a lawmaker and a minister, and even more than the president. What does Bajram Begaj do, sitting idly in his office, that a magistrate cannot earn more”? he asked rhetorically.

Concluding his remarks, Bardhi emphasized the weight and risks involved in magistrates’ work. He recalled that these are the judges who directly confront organized crime and hand down sentences of up to life imprisonment. “For this reason, they deserve dignity, not charity,” he concluded.

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On September 11, 2026, the Special Court of Appeal for Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) filed a lawsuit with the Tirana Administrative Court of First Instance, taking its dispute with the executive institutions to court.

The lawsuit was filed by GJKKO Deputy Chair Dhimitër Lara against the Ministry of Finance and the Tirana Treasury Branch, while the State Advocacy and the High Judicial Council are also participating in the proceedings as third parties.

The legal action concerns the failure to implement payments for August 2026. The GJKKO Appeals Court is asking for letter no. 14110, dated September 2, 2026, to be declared unlawful and annulled. Through this letter, the Ministry of Finance suspended expenditure orders nos. 190 to 196, which had been sent to commercial banks.

The court is also being asked to order the financial authorities to immediately execute the payrolls, which are based on HJC Decision no. 435 and Order no. 73 of the Deputy Chair of the GJKKO Appeals Court.

According to the lawsuit, the payments should not be made conditional on the reinstatement of the July salary parameters.

Alongside the lawsuit, the court was also asked to impose a security measure aimed at immediately suspending the effects of the Ministry of Finance’s act and unblocking the procedure in the Treasury system.

The GJKKO’s legal claims are based on Constitutional Court Decision no. 15/2026 and the subsequent act of the HJC. Under these acts, the basic reference salary for Category I, Class I-2, has been set at 222,425 lek for the position salary, while a 14,000-lek qualification allowance is provided.

In its reasoning, the court challenges the executive branch’s financial control for exceeding its powers. According to the court, this control cannot be transformed into administrative oversight or into the de facto suspension of acts of judicial self-governance.

The lawsuit also raises concerns about the blocking of judicial administration salaries, regarding which, according to the GJKKO, there is no legal dispute or obstacle.

At the same time, the court claims that the executive institutions have followed a double-standard approach: fiscal and social obligations have been calculated on the basis of the parameters of the new, increased salary, while payments to employees have been arbitrarily halted.

Meanwhile, today the Administrative Court ordered the payment of the GJKKO judges.

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